


this is the way they'd love

by Know_Your_Paradoxes



Series: volcanic activity [1]
Category: Long Live the Queen (Video Game)
Genre: (undiagnosed bc this is Nova but still), Bittersweet, Briony and Elodie are on the other hand, Elodie and Kevan aren't romantically involved, F/M, Gen, Implied Future Ignatius/Kevan, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Incest, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Implied/Referenced Underage Sex, Kevan has Paranoid Schizophrenia, Kevan swears a lot, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Mental Instability, Multi, Non-romantic love, Other, Past Sexual Abuse, Platonic Relationships, Pre-Friendship, Pre-arranged Marriage, Schizophrenia, Swearing, nothing explicit shown but this is part of the backstory so please be careful!, paranoid schizophrenia, yet again nothing explicit but the implications are there!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-27
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:27:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28167729
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Know_Your_Paradoxes/pseuds/Know_Your_Paradoxes
Summary: Misery loves company, but it loves Kevan more.
Relationships: Briony/Elodie (Long Live the Queen), Corisande/Kevan (Long Live the Queen), Elodie & Kevan (Long Live the Queen)
Series: volcanic activity [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2076702
Kudos: 6





	this is the way they'd love

**Author's Note:**

> title taken from "dance, dance" by fall out boy. yes i know that the tone of the song doesn't fit the tone of the fic. yes i'm aware that everything about this is kind of morbid. no i will not change it because the title is apt in my opinion

He hears the screeching before he realizes who's making the noise. It's kind of hard to tell that sort of thing with your back turned away, even moreso when there's another person obstructing that view right behind you.

Once the haze and fog in his brain clears, he knows it's his younger brother, and he knows exactly what trouble he's going to get into. He'd rather take the full brunt of the blame and punishment than see the man he loves (loves? loves. it'd be inane to consider it anything else, after all that they've done together, right?) ever face that kind of negativity. Thaddeus is going to find their mother, and he's going to tell her what he's seen, and she'll be so fucking mad.

It's one thing to piss off a normal mother. It's completely different to piss off the Eastern Queen of Nova.

Jael is immediately putting his clothes back on, and Kevan feels a sort of emptiness in his chest at how quickly they had gone from being passionate with one another to Jael refusing to look him in the eye as he gets redressed.

Kevan wonders if Corisande is awake, and if she'll also be told what's happened between her brother and their stepfather. He hopes that she won't.

He looks to Jael, bringing the sheets of his bed closer to his body in a desperate attempt to look like he's being careful. He's honestly not upset that his relationship was discovered. He's more upset with the fact that Jael's going to be the one facing the consequences when he was the innocent party. (he was, and kevan knows it in his heart, despite the position that jael took during their nights together being far from innocent.)

"C-Could I at least have a kiss?" he asks, his voice shaking. He sounds as if he hasn't made it through puberty, even though he did that two years ago. It's been two whole years, and he still sounds like the scared little boy he was when his stepfather first came into his room and kissed him.

Jael looks down at him -- a full head taller than Kevan at least, which wasn't particularly difficult, as Kevan was on the shorter side anyway -- and curls his upper lip.

Is that... disgust?

No. There's no possible way that someone as wonderful and loving as Jael could ever possibly look upon him with that kind of pure repulsion. After all of the time they had shared and all the love that they had given to one another, there was absolutely no chance of him reacting like that. It must have just been a tic. That's it. That's all there is to it, clearly.

(kevan notices the way that jael's shadow hits the wall, and for a second he could swear that he sees it reaching to slap him across the face. he has half a mind to tell it off.)

Jael is already halfway out of his bedroom when they hear Arisse's booming voice and heavy, calculated footsteps nearing.

"No matter what, we'll still see one another, Kevan. That's a promise."

(obviously, because jael is dedicated to him and his family. that's why they got close in the first place. this is how jael shows his love.)

* * *

Corisande isn't happy with Ignatius, and almost everyone can see it, even Briony. She's trying to act like it doesn't hurt her, but it's hard to keep up that act around people who aren't her parents.

Kevan's become the resident mediator between his niece and his sister & brother-in-law, and he hates that he has to deal with this kind of internal conflict within his family. These are the best people in the world, the most incredible and most powerful that could possibly be. There was no need for any in-fighting. This was the kind of family that couldn't fall apart.

(he remembers the night that he received word of jael's death, and how badly it affected him. for a family that can't fall apart, he cut ties with his mother pretty swiftly. arisse should never have done that. she had probably been planning on sabotaging the family from the moment he entered the picture. she was wrong. jael wasn't the one that had done anything wrong.)

Briony tells Kevan all of her struggles via letters, and Kevan tries his best to reassure her how much her family loves her, because they do, and he knows they do. She's young, and she's got a bit of a temper, something that Kevan can absolutely relate to.

(she doesn't tend to scream at the shadows like he does, but that's probably for the best.)

Tonight, Corisande approaches him after he's read Briony's unloaded burdens. This was definitely not something he was expecting. She usually kept to herself, both with Briony and with Ignatius, and even with her own brother. So it was weird that she came to him.

What's even weirder is how she starts dumping her problems onto him, just like her young daughter had mere seconds prior.

"I used to love him, Kevan. I really did. Obviously, you know that, I never would have married the man otherwise. But gods, he can be so overbearing! And we haven't been intimate in months now! We had Briony together, but after that, it always seems like he's trying to avoid me. Quite frankly, I'm frustrated. But you don't need to hear about this kind of thing, Kevan. After all, we're family."

Corisande is trying to come onto him. She's mentioning what happened with Jael, and trying to infer that she needs an intimate companion. She's trying to bait him into another relationship within his family.

(it's a good thing he cut ties with arisse years ago, otherwise if she found out about this kind of affair happening again, there's no telling how she might react.)

Kevan looks at her with sympathetic eyes, but refuses to open his mouth. He knows that if he says anything, he will only dig himself a deeper grave. Corisande already knows about everything that transpired with their former stepfather. If word got out to their mother about something even remotely similar happening, she would possibly have them both killed.

However, his silence is a double-edged sword, and his sister seems to take it as a go-ahead for her dastardly plan. She leans forward and her lips connect with Kevan's, colliding like a meteor against Earth, possibly with the same cataclysmic effects, if they don't keep it hush-hush.

This is new and foreign territory for him, since he's never been with a woman.

(he'd never been intimate with anyone prior to jael, but that was neither here nor there at the moment, because it was getting increasingly harder to think as corisande continued to press her lips to kevan's, and down his neck, and towards his chest.)

Kevan manages to squeak out some words in between the barrage of touches against his body. "S-Sande, we shouldn't-"

"What, you think you're too good for your sister? You sleep with one family member and draw the line there? You've already broken a social taboo, you may as well break another. Besides, you wouldn't want to disappoint your dearest sister, would you?"

(kevan hears that question repeat in his head for the rest of his life, and every time, the shadows and the other voices in his head would give a different answer.)

* * *

When Kevan hears word that someone in the palace attempted to poison his sister, he goes fucking ballistic.

He doesn't listen when she tells him her name. He doesn't care. All he knows is that she tried to kill someone in his family, and for that, she should be drawn and quartered.

Elodie is only 14, but she's the next in line for the throne, and her father's already made it very clear that she's going to be the one making the majority of decisions in Nova, so she can get a feel for how things work as queen.

Kevan sees a scared little girl in front of him as he spits and growls his accusations. She's even younger than his niece. If Briony were the girl in front of him, he wouldn't be nearly as upset, he thinks.

(or maybe he would be more upset. after all, the accused was trying to kill her mother.)

Elodie herself lost her mother not long ago. Kevan tries to remember exactly how many weeks ago it could have been, but the dates and numbers elude him in his state of pure, unbridled rage. He could try and use that knowledge to try and sympathize with her, and get her to see his side of the story.

But instead, he hears Elodie speak, and she's got the calmest, most melodic voice Kevan's heard in years.

"I regret to say this, but I do believe that justice has already been done, miss. Your brother was presumably killed, yes?" The woman nods her head, and Elodie continues, closing her eyes solemnly. "I'm almost certain that the person who could have done so is long gone already. Hyacinth has been dead for years now. Justice was already done. If you had merely spoken to the Duchess of Mead about the matter, I'm sure that she would have even been sympathetic to your plight. In the end, your attempt was misguided, and you nearly killed an innocent woman."

The accused hangs her head in despair, mumbling to herself, and Kevan looks at Elodie with wide eyes and confused thoughts. How had Elodie pieced together that information, and how had she solved the case mere moments after it being brought to her attention?

Kevan was intrigued by Elodie, to say the very least. She was observant, and diplomatic, and she had managed to spare a life as well as reassure him and dissuade his fears.

He has the feeling that this won't be the first time he will be impressed by the young queen in training.

(there's a permanent shadow that follows him every now and again, weeping and apologizing. he tries to forgive her, but for some reason, she never leaves. he feels terrible, but he knows that it's merely a trick of the mind.)

* * *

The shadows refuse to leave him alone nowadays, it seems.

It's been a few months since he and Corisande started their affair, and every shadow that he sees deems it fit to taunt him for the decision that he himself made regarding the ordeal. Nevermind that he had voiced his reservations, and that he hadn't wanted to do anything with her at first -- clearly the shadows in the halls saw him as the one to blame.

(corisande reassures him that she's satisfied, but he can't help but feel like she's just as upset by their encounters as he is, especially after. at least she seems to gain some sort of pleasure from it -- he's never felt the same kind of pleasure since jael.)

Briony's home again, only for a week, and she has a near-permanent scowl on her face nowadays. It completely contrasts the rest of her appearance, with her big round green eyes and curled pigtails in ringlets. She looks like a spoiled princess now, and Kevan feels his heart break a little every time he sees her scoff or huff.

In a way, she reminds him of himself when he was young.

(when he was with jael. he had never been like that before. he chalks it up to being upset that he couldn't be public with his love.)

He's done his best to ignore the comments that the shadows give him, and for the most part, he's remained silent and borne the brunt of the insults rather well. Briony seems to be tracking him sometimes, however, and the paranoia that keeps crawling up and down his spine makes it hard for him to focus on blocking out the shadows.

One day, he explodes. Briony isn't even around, as far as he's aware. He's not sure what happened to him, but something inside of him just sparked and suddenly his mind and body were a powder keg, mid-boom, leaving behind destruction and ash in his wake.

"You shut your fucking mouth, demons! You don't know a thing about my life, or my family. You have no say over my decisions and what I decide to do with my body. I am a good brother, and a good uncle, and a good son. Just because I might show my love in different ways doesn't mean that it's any less genuine. You vile creatures could never understand the bonds I have!"

He kicks over a small table with a plant in a vase, and the vase shatters into pieces, the flowers and dirt spilling across the floor.

Normally, the sound would lead to servants and maybe even Corisande and Ignatius coming to ask if everything was okay, but for some reason, it was dead silent.

He recognizes the flowers, but can't quite place the name.

(later on, he realizes that they're hyacinths, and kevan cries himself to sleep that night.)

* * *

Briony's been sending letters to Elodie, as he learns from some of her recent correspondence to him.

Elodie's always been an acquaintance of hers, and so that shouldn't come as a surprise to him, but it does take him aback for a second. Briony seems to get nervous when discussing Elodie, and Kevan can recognize the reasons why, even if they aren't immediately obvious to Briony herself.

He has no idea what Briony writes to her about, although he has a sneaking suspicion that he's a frequent topic of discussion. He can't exactly blame her. She's young and rebellious, and his behaviors are something she's never been accustomed to.

(he hopes that she hasn't caught on to what happens between him and her mother. it would break her heart even farther than it seems to have broken already.)

Weeks pass, and Briony becomes more and more embarrassed whenever anyone mentions that she's been writing letters to the future queen. Her face gets flushed, and she stumbles over her words, often times getting defensive and denying any kind of correspondence with her, despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary. She's got a crush on Elodie, and it's genuinely one of the most pure and wholesome things that Kevan's had the pleasure of witnessing in his entire, 33-year lifetime.

Eventually, Briony returns to boarding school, if only for a few more weeks before she attends Gwenelle's birthday party.

More developments occur during this time of relative peace: Ignatius and Corisande announce that they've decided to separate. Elodie's named Ignatius as the new Duke of Ursul following his sister's imprisonment and subsequent disappearance, and since neither of them has a reason to stay together anymore, they've decided to move their separate ways.

While Kevan can't say he didn't see this coming, he wonders what this means for him and Corisande's budding relationship. Obviously she's going to have to find another partner eventually, or maybe she'll remain a divorcee for the rest of her life. Either way, the public could never know about what happens between them.

(corisande keeps telling him that arisse hasn't any suspicion, but the shadow on his back keeps whispering in his ear, and it's getting harder and harder to ignore its words.)

The rest of the world seems to continue turning, and Corisande and Kevan continue their affair.

(kevan does his best not to dwell on the fact that she seems bored whenever they make love now.)

* * *

Briony apparently went to the Old Forest with Elodie. Thank the gods that she survived, however she did.

Corisande is beside herself for an entire week before she even thinks to look to the queen-to-be as to the whereabouts of her daughter.

Kevan stays behind, keeping watch of the estate and the duchy while his sister's gone. He's alongside Ignatius, who's starting to slowly move his things out of the house and into Ursul. It makes sense, after all, since he's the ruler of Ursul now.

(for some reason, kevan feels a light melancholy whenever he thinks about ignatius leaving. he's barely spoken to the man, but he's anxious about the thought of his absence.)

When Briony returns, Corisande brings Kevan and Ignatius along with her to speak to Briony. She frames it as a sort of behavioral intervention, as well as an airing of grievances of sorts. She tells her brother that the entire family is going to be letting things out in the open and discussing their wrongs so that there are no secrets or hard feelings anymore.

(he knows deep down that this means that she fully intends to tell ignatius and briony about their affair, and he has to calm himself down every few minutes whenever the thought starts to resurface in his mind.)

Briony speaks first, saying that she feels ignored and unloved by her parents, and that's why she's been slowly distancing herself from her family. She tells her mother that she's upset that she doesn't allow her to get closer to the rest of the family, and that she gets shipped to boarding school while everything happens in Mead. She also finally comes to realize her feelings and admits that she's grown fond of Elodie -- which is incredibly brave to admit, considering that the thought of a same-sex relationship in Nova is mostly taboo.

The three adults reassure her that they love her, and Kevan knows that all three of them mean it from the bottom of their hearts. Briony breaks down, tears falling down her cheeks as she hugs her mother and father before turning to Kevan.

She whispers, "Thank you for being my rock, Uncle Kevan," into his ear, and it takes all the strength in his body not to start crying along with her.

Finally, once Briony's calmed a bit, Corisande clears her throat and begins to speak.

The words and secrets fall out of her mouth in a continuous string, as if stopping to take a breath would completely break the sentences apart. Kevan starts to tune out as soon as he gets to the point where Corisande talks about Jael, because he knows that she's saying something that isn't true, something that nobody but Jael or Kevan could say for certain.

(he knows deep down that what she's saying is true, that he had never been truly in love with jael, and that he had been taken advantage of. she should know, considering she did almost the exact same thing to him only months prior.)

Kevan's first look is to Briony, whose eyes are wide and horrified. He then turns to look to Ignatius, who has a similar expression, mixed with anger and concern and even regret.

He turns his gaze to the floor for the rest of the night, only occasionally interjecting to confirm that what Corisande is saying is true.

(he knows deep down that when she says that he was the one that initiated their relationship, she's lying, but he figures that for now, it's better to be the bad guy than to admit that he was a victim not only to his stepfather, but to his sister as well.)

* * *

Briony asks for permission to write a coded message to Elodie about it. She's almost certain that Elodie hasn't learned much about ciphering, and she just wants to vent about what's happened in her family. Even if Elodie learns what the message actually says, Briony tries to assure her uncle that she's the type of person that would never tell another soul, and that she would want nothing more than to help and make sure that things worked out.

Kevan has a feeling that this is the truth, but he's still hesitant to give his consent about the message.

Ignatius is nearby, and Kevan feels the need to consult him about it.

"Evening, Kevan," Ignatius says. His voice is lower than usual, and a bit more terse. Kevan understands, and doesn't blame him. He's sure that he'd react the same way if he found out that his significant other ended up cheating on him with someone else.

(especially if it had been happening under his nose the entire time, and if they had ended up lying about who had initiated the entire affair.)

"Evening. Uh, I know that I'm in no position to ask anything of you, but I really need some advice. I promise that if you help me with this, I'll leave you alone forever after. And if you refuse, I completely understand, and will respect your decision."

Ignatius sighs, his chest rising, and Kevan can't help but notice it.

(why had kevan ever once tried to feel pleasure when with a woman? the men around him were so handsome that even without trying, he found it hard to breathe when in their presence.)

"I'm sure you mean well. What's the issue?"

Kevan lets out a breath he wasn't aware he was holding. "Thank you. Briony came to me, and asked me if I would allow her to write a coded message to Elodie regarding the... situation between Corisande and I."

"Ah, I see. You're wondering whether or not I believe it to be a good idea to let that kind of information outside of the family?"

Kevan nods. Ignatius is surprisingly understanding, and his expression softens slightly knowing that he isn't being confronted.

Ignatius stretches his arms, knuckles popping. "If you want my opinion, I think you should let her. Briony really does trust Elodie, and, despite the little interaction I've had with her since she gave me the duchy of Ursul, I'd be inclined to agree with my daughter. Elodie seems to be a kind young woman. Plus, from a political standpoint, letting that kind of information out to the public would almost definitely start some kind of war, be it kingdom-wide or merely within the duchy. It would be a terrible maneuver for her either way."

Kevan nods along with Ignatius's words. He wonders why he's never interacted much with the man before now. He's well-spoken and kind, and his words are very clear and concise.

(it also helps that the man is easy on the eyes, although he won't admit that he thinks so, even within his own mind. he's sure the shadows will have a field day with this information regardless.)

Later that day, Kevan catches up with his niece and gives her the go-ahead to write the code within the message.

Briony hugs him tightly and thanks him. She also tells him that she forgives him, and he feels his heart swell within his chest.

* * *

Weeks continue to pass, and eventually, Ignatius is completely moved out and into the duchy of Ursul. It's bittersweet, really; Kevan's almost sure that if he had tried to speak to him more, they could have been friends.

(the shadows taunt him about how his gaze used to linger on ignatius' lips or his thoughts drift toward how beautiful his eyes are, and at this point, he's gotten used to their jabs and japes.)

Corisande has completely dropped him as a lover, and has started seeing another man. Kevan hasn't bothered to learn his name, his background, or anything else. He's probably an earl as well, same as him. It would make the most sense politically.

(he tries to ignore how that information seems to sear into his flesh.)

Briony's been around more, and she's started hanging out with Kevan on a much more frequent basis. He's told her his side of the story as far as Corisande goes, and she seems to believe him.

She's also become a sort of saint to him. He finds it easy to unload his burdens while talking to her. He tells her everything about what happened with his stepfather, and she reassures him whenever he's on the verge of crying. He feels terrible about giving her this information, especially since everyone involved is part of her family, but she takes it in stride, and every time the two part ways, Kevan feels infinitely better than he did prior to talking to her.

He even tries to get back in contact with Arisse. She invites him to her estate in Lilah, and he takes the offer enthusiastically.

When he gets there, he's greeted by one of her butlers, and he waits for a few minutes in the foyer before Arisse herself shows up. She greets him with a hug, and it takes every ounce of energy within him not to break down then and there.

She leads him toward their dining room, where tea for two has been set up.

"Hello, Kevan. I'm so glad to see you again. You said you wanted to speak to me, so I'll quiet myself and allow you to talk. It's very nice to see you, though. You've grown so much."

Kevan gives a nervous grin, and rubs his palms together in a desperate attempt to keep them from becoming sweaty. "Thanks, Ar - I mean, Mom. Gotta get used to that, I think." An anxious laugh escapes his throat, and he clears it immediately after to try and save some face. "Um, recently, Corisande and I have been more open with Briony about our family's history... and I figured I would let you know."

Arisse's brows raise. "Oh? Do tell. Has anything else happened since you moved in with your sister?"

"You could say that. Almost half a year ago, Corisande came to me, complaining about things with Ignatius. And I understood, and after everything was said and done, the two've split, so she wasn't lying to me. But, uh... how do I say this delicately..."

He racks his brain, trying his best to come up with a phrase that won't be immediately accusatory towards Corisande.

"She manipulated me in a similar way to our stepfather. She used my loyalty to our family to try and seduce me. I voiced my concerns, but-"

Immediately, Arisse seems to stop him, and the expression on her face is full of concern and tranquil fury towards his sister. "She did what? How dare she exploit that kind of traumatic experience for her own gain! That kind of pain should have made her more sensitive to that kind of behavior... I could have sworn I raised her with more sense than that."

He sees her eyes fill with tears, and he reaches to put a hand on her forearm. "There was no way that you could've known. Hells, I've been close with her since we were young, and I had no idea she would do that sort of thing."

Arisse gives him a halfhearted smile. He makes sure to note that she's receptive to his reassurances. "I'm sorry that you were taken advantage of like that. Especially more than once. That's unacceptable, and I'll be having a word with Corisande sometime soon."

Kevan feels a lump in his throat at the thought of something happening to Corisande.

(he blocks the memory of his learning of jael's fate from his mind, although not without heavy effort.)

"Speaking of which... I've come to terms with what happened regarding my stepfather."

Arisse looks stunned for a second. "And...?"

"And I wanted to apologize for the way I acted. I was cold and unforgiving to you. You had done what you believed was right, and what you thought was necessary to protect me. I had been manipulated in believing that the relationship was mutual... I never should have shut you out like that, mother."

There's not much that Kevan can remember or articulate after that -- not without crying, at least.

The great thing is that his relationship with his mother has healed somewhat.

(it has never been, nor will ever be, as strong as it had been prior to jael, but at least there's one less shadow telling him about how much of a failure he's been.)


End file.
